Will new Medicaid expansions be followed by work requirements?
More and more states are expanding Medicaid and work requirements are following. Recently, two more states have added work requirements for Medicaid coverage.
Mississippi
Mississippi voted to expand Medicaid under the ACA last month and the new expansion issues a work requirement, but the Biden Administration could refuse to allow the state to implement it.
Gov. Tate Reeves has notoriously opposed Medicaid expansion, often derisively referring to it as “Obamacare expansion.” Reeves will most likely veto the bill but a report stated that the legislature could override his veto with a two-thirds vote from both chambers.
South Dakota
Coming this November election South Dakota voters will decide if they may implement a work requirement for Medicaid. The issue has been approved by the state House and Senate, but will still require approval by the Federal government in November.
The expansion took effect last summer. According to a report from AP News Republican Rep. Tony Venhuizen, who spearheaded the issue, said during a panel, “If this amendment was approved, and if the federal government allowed a work requirement, and if we decided we wanted to implement a work requirement, two or three steps down the line from now, we would have to talk about what exemptions are available.”
Marie DeFreitas is an associate content specialist at HealthLeaders.